


Sixty Minute Winter

by skytramp



Category: Mortal Engines Series - Philip Reeve
Genre: F/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-02-28
Updated: 2015-02-28
Packaged: 2018-03-15 13:35:50
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 913
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/3449087
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/skytramp/pseuds/skytramp
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>
  <i>[prompt: things you said when you thought I was asleep]</i>
</p>
            </blockquote>





	Sixty Minute Winter

**Author's Note:**

  * For [congratsyouvegrownasoul](https://archiveofourown.org/users/congratsyouvegrownasoul/gifts).



The room was dark and cold and Oenone was struggling to sleep. She lay on her side, staring through the wide windows out at the small terrace, illuminated by the light of the full moon. This was the second full moon of her marriage and she’d spent the last month and a half being unable to sleep. Naga was a good man: just, righteous and beneath the gruff exterior she thought he was even kind. But Oenone didn’t know him yet, not really. She spent night after night curled in their large bed, just far enough away that her skin didn’t catch the chill that radiated from his cold metal prosthetics.

Tonight was long, it seemed to stretch ever onward towards a sunrise that would never come and she knew it was in anticipation of leaving in the morning. Tomorrow was her flight to Zagwa and she wouldn’t see Naga for months in all probability. With a small pang in her chest she realized she’d miss the stiff military man.

She rolled over on her other side, now facing the sleeping man. The room was dim but she could just see the his closed eyelids, how his eyelashes were long and almost pretty against his dark cheeks. She reached towards his face, certain he was asleep and ran a warm finger along his jaw. He shivered involuntarily at her touch and for a moment she thought she’d woken him. “I will miss you, my husband.” she said softly, mostly to herself, and she knew it was true. She thought she may even love him soon.

——

Naga struggled to not tense as the soft voice spoke near his shoulder. He’d been half asleep when Oenone had rolled over in bed and he’d nearly shouted when he felt her touch him. It felt… Nice. She was soft, and he thought she was beautiful even when others said she was plain, and he never in a million years thought she’d touch him of her own volition. Her words felt like a spark of hope that he didn’t want to smother. She would miss him. Maybe she’d miss him even half as much as he knew he would miss her.

When she rolled back over, away from him again, she missed the warmth of her presence. His joints always ached in the winter and he hadn't had the guts to ask his wife to help him stretch them as the doctors always told him was necessary. The metal braces that formed an exoskeleton over large parts of his body were cold and hard and he knew that even lying in the same bed as him would certainly be a strain on her.

His long years of military service told him it was probably nearly 4AM. Oenone would need to wake at 5 to be ready for the airship to Zagwa and he knew she hadn't yet slept.

He yawned, unable to hold back the slight groan that accompanied it and Oenone stiffened visibly. She clearly had still thought him asleep. 

"Oenone." He said softly, his voice nearly creaking in an effort to sound gentle. "You must sleep or you'll never wake for your ship."

"Yes, thank you." She replied with her back still turned. 

Naga sat up with some difficulty and crawled out of bed.

"What are you doing?" She asked as she rolled over to face him again. She looked so small there on the bed beneath him, a bundle of contradictions the size of the Sheild Wall itself. He wanted so badly to think of her as innocent, but he knew she was nothing of the sort. 

"I have...." He answered, turning away towards the small chest of drawers, "I have a gift.... for you, I mean. I meant to give it to you in the morning but," He hesitated again as he pulled the small box from the top drawer, "but maybe it will bring you comfort and help you sleep." He felt a flush creep into his cheeks that he hoped couldn't be seen in the dimly lit room.

She sat up fully and crossed her legs, pulling the her flat pillow against her chest. He crossed back towards the bed and leaned over to hand her the box. 

"It, isn't much, I know, nothing grand really, just... I had hoped you'd like it." He rambled nervously as she took the box and opened it quickly. Her back was to the window so he couldn't tell if she could even see its contents at first until he heard a sound that sounded almost certainly of delight. He saw her lift the small necklace in the air, as if to inspect it in the moonlight streaming through the window. The light gleamed dully off the metal cross as she wrapped the chain around her delicate fingers. 

"Oh, Naga." Her voice sounded almost choked, "It's very beautiful. Thank you so much."

He bowed stiffly, not sure how to react to such genuine praise.

"Will you, will you help me wear it? In the morning, I mean, I wouldn't want to break it in my sleep."

"Yes." He said softly as he crawled back into bed beside her. She leaned back and set the small box, necklace inside, on her nightstand and laid back down. 

She did not turn away from him, instead she rested her cheek against the scratchy fabric of his night shirt, stretched over his shoulders. The room did not seem so cold.


End file.
